11. Life as Pilgrimage: The Eschatology of John Calvin

10.1163/9789004244672_013

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Chapter Summary

Eschatology discusses what believers are hoping for - for them personally and for the world- and what carries them through life. This chapter begins with a discussion on the essential for Calvin's theology that is the distinction between heaven and earth, the fundamental otherness of this world and the coming world. In Calvin's view the civil authorities have a fundamental task for the earthly pilgrim on the way to his eternal destiny. Calvin describes life as one long battle from which one should not want to flee. The eschatological direction of Calvin's thought is determined by two tracks, first, for Calvin a correct distinction between the "already" and the "not yet" is of the greatest significance and the second is that, spiritually viewed, the center of gravity is found in the "already" of the blessings of God received in Christ.